Author Archives: achicotel

It’s been long understood that the most important determinant in whether a nursing home resident receives a psychotropic drug is not her diagnosis, her age, or her presentation of symptoms; rather, it is the facility’s psych drug usage rates.  In … Continue reading →

A nursing home survey from last year reveals the terrible story of a resident of Paradise Ridge Post Acute (formerly called Cypress Healthcare Center) in Paradise, CA.  The state survey team saw the resident in a deep sleep in the … Continue reading →

Neurology Today has an article about antipsychotics exacerbating symptoms of delirium for patients receiving hospice care.  The article is centered on a recent study in which Haldol and Risperdal were found to increase delirium, distress, and other negative health outcomes when … Continue reading →

What factors are associated with high antipsychotic use in nursing homes? A recent study analyzed contributory factors by reviewing a number of prior studies.  Here is a list of some of the factors associated with higher antipsychotic usage: Smaller facilities … Continue reading →

A study released earlier this year found alarming rates of psychotropic drug use in assisted living facilities, for residents with and without dementia.  Thirty-seven percent of the studied assisted living residents were drugged with antipsychotics, 40% with anti-anxiety drugs, and … Continue reading →

Intercommunity Healthcare, a nursing home in Norwalk, CA was cited recently for giving a 94 year old man Seroquel, a powerful antipsychotic associated with serious side effects and death in the elderly, for scratching and itching “behavior” related to a … Continue reading →

CaringKind has released a new guide to non-drugging dementia treatment for long-term care providers.  The guide has excellent advice for how to set up a progressive and successful comfort focused model of care in long-term care settings, such as nursing … Continue reading →

The Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) has issued an excellent alert decrying and analyzing the continued overuse of antipsychotics in nursing homes.  As of 2016, over 270,000 nursing home residents are still being drugged with antipsychotics, despite over ten years … Continue reading →

A recent study performed by RiskAnalytica and funded by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement has found that reducing and discontinuing the use of antipsychotic drugs in long term care facilities could save Canada $6.7 billion in reduced healthcare costs … Continue reading →

California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) applauds the proposal to create a quality measure based on antipsychotic use in older adults in hospitals. For several years, CANHR has been part of the national CMS campaign to eliminate inappropriate antipsychotic … Continue reading →